Incandescent igniter for use with internal-combustion engines.



PATENTED FEB. 27, 1906.

No. 813,456; I

J. W. SEAL. INGANDESOENT IGNITER FOR USE WITH INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 25,1904.

W age/3 m UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN W. SEAL, OF LONDON, ENGLAND, ASSIGNOR OF TWO-THIRDS TO JOHN BERNARD LANGFORD, OF CHISWICK, ENGLAND.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 2'7, 1906.

Application filed July 25, 1904. Serial No. 218,056.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOHN WILLIAM SEAL, a subject of the King of Great Britain, residing at Oil Mill Lane, Hammersmith, London,

England, have invented new and useful Improvements in Incandescent Igniters for Use with Internal-Combustion Engines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to igniters for explosionengines, and has for its object a form of igniter of'the type wherein the heat of combustion of the working gases or vapors when once the engine is started maintains a tube at a temperature sufficient to secure the ignition of the succeeding charges.

The object is to improve the construction by 1providing an igniter which will be easy to ma e and set up or to repair or replace if necessary, in which the tube which plays the main part in the ignition is inclosed in another tube or outer casing in such a way that the gases have access to both inside and outside of said inner tube and in which the gases are so directed that the walls of said inner tube are especially heated at one or more points in order that at these points at least ignition may be insured.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 shows in vertical section one form of the improved igniter. Fig. 2 is a sectional plan on the line A B of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation of a modified construction.

Referring first to Figs. 1 and 2, a is a plug screw-threaded to fit into the Wall of the cylinder or port to which the igniter is to be a plied. A central passage Z) passes complete y through the plug a, and there are two side passages c 0 leading out from passage 1) and opening into upwardlydirected holes cl (1. The ignition-tube proper, e, restsin a seating f in the plug a and is held in place by a cap or covering-tube g, which screws upon the plug a at h. The cap g and plug a thus constitute the casing for the ignition-tube e. The igniter will of course be in connection with a valve or other usual means (not shown) for controlling the admission of gases to the same.

For starting the engine a separate igniting arrangement of any known kind may be used which will effect the ignition until such time as the tube 6 is hot enough to insure the combustion of the gases, or the outer casing or cap 9 may be heated by a lamp or the like until the ignition of the gases will take place. Subsequently, as the engine works the rush of flame from each explosion inside and outside the tube 6, through passages b c d, heats the tube to such a temperature that the ignition of the subsequent charge when it comes into contact with the tube is insured. The greatest heating occurs internally near the base of tube 6 and externally at the two points where the flame plays directly against the tube in proximity to the openings of the side passages d.

In the modification shown in Fig. 3 the plug a, corresponding to plug a, has only a central passage 5, and the ignition-tube e is in this case open at both ends, one end being seated in plug a at f The external tube or cap 9 screws upon the plug a and in its outer end are bored or formed a central passage 5 and side passages c and d Said passages may be formed, for instance, in the manner well known to engineers, the passages b and d being bored by a tool inserted from the open end of the cap or cover, while the crosspassage 0 is bored through the head of the cap and the end of the boring by which the tool enters is subsequently filled up. In this construction the gases to be ignited traverse the length of the internal tube e and then pass outside said tube by the passages 0 (F. The principal point of heating is in this case therefore near to the outer end, and the arrangement is specially adapted for use on engines or in places in which it is possible only to gain access to the outer end of the cap or cover for the application of external heat in starting the engine. With the arrangement shown in Fig. 3 the igniter will produce combustion of the gases after a very short heating of the outer end of cap g.

What I claim is 1. In an incandescent igniter for internalcombustion engines the combination of an ignition-tube and a casing formed of a plurality of parts inclosing said tube, said casing of such form and size as to'leave a space between it and the walls of the ignition-tube, the casing having a main passage adapted to direct the main volume of the gases into the ignition-tube, and having narrow side passages adapted to direct jets of burning gas against particular points upon the outer walls of the ignition-tube.

2. In an incandescent igniter for internalcombustion engines, the combination of an ignition-tube closed at one end, and a casing I for said ignition-tube, said casing comprising a cap closed at one end adapted to surround the ignition-tube and to leave a space between the walls of said tube and the cap, and a plug adapted to engage the open ends of the cap and of the ignition tube, said plug having a central bore and also side passages adapted to allow gases passing up said central bore to flow into the space between the ignition-tube and the-cap and to direct said gases against particular points on the walls of the ignition-tube whereby the rapid heating of said points is insured.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto 15 signed my name in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

J. W. SEAL.

Witnesses:

S. ALLsoPP, O. H. RICHARDS. 

